Comparing Basking Ridge’s 619 Year Old Oak to the World’s Oldest Trees

On April 24-26, 2017, the New Jersey town of Basking Ridge lost its oldest resident, the Basking Ridge historic white oak tree.  What was estimated to be 619 years old, no one ever imagined that the tree would die during their lifetime, and it came as quite a shock to the entire community. Are there other stories out there? We started to think: how does the loss of the Basking Ridge Oak tree rank against the world’s oldest trees? Here’s what we found.

Basking Ridge’s 619-Year-Old Oak Tree

The Basking Ridge White Oak Tree (Quercus alba), also known as the Great White Oak, is the pride of Basking Ridge, New Jersey. It is situated right in the center of downtown Basking Ridge, just to the right of the historic 1717 Basking Ridge Presbyterian Church. The tree is the essence of the history of Basking Ridge, a historic section of Bernards Township. The tree was cut down in April 2017.

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More Historic Oak Trees

So, you thought the Basking Ridge Oak tree was old; how about the ones in Britain? Britain’s mightiest oak: A staggering 1,046 years old, it’s still going strong (even if it is getting stout around the middle). Bowthorpe Oak in Manthorpe near Bourne, Lincolnshire, England, is perhaps England’s oldest oak tree, with an estimated age of over 1,000 years. The tree has a girth of 12.30 meters (40 feet 4 inches) – and astounding longevity. It can be found on Bowthorpe Park Farm. 

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Two great books are available about the Basking Ridge Historic White Oak Tree.
See them at the Mr. Local History Gift Shop

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“High Park has as many as 60 ancient oaks, which is not surpassed by any other site I know, but more interestingly, these trees could go back further than the Middle Ages, as they were not planted and simply grew. At least 60 Middle Ages oaks have been unearthed in a survey of the grounds of Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire, four measuring almost 30 feet in diameter. It was previously thought that Moccas Park in Suffolk, Windsor Great Park in Berkshire, and Savernake Forest in Wiltshire had the most extensive collection of ancient trees. Still, the new research means Blenheim Palace has overtaken them.

The Major Oak is a large English oak (Quercus robur) near the village of Edwinstowe amid Sherwood Forest, Nottinghamshire, England. According to local folklore, Robin Hood’s shelter was where he and his merry men slept. It weighs an estimated 23 tons, has a girth of 33 feet (10 meters), a canopy of 92 feet (28 meters), and is about 800–1000 years old. In a 2002 survey, it was voted “Britain’s favorite tree.” The Major Oak may be a single tree that grew from several saplings.

England’s Fortingall Yew in Perthshire is estimated to be around 5,000 years old, making it older than Stonehenge.

10 Oldest Trees in the World

So, what countries and tree species are the title holders of “the oldest trees in the world?” It’s hard to believe that there is a tree that’s almost 5,000 years old and still growing! Read on!

1. Methuselah—As of 2016, Methuselah still stands at the ripe old age of 4,848 in the White Mountains of California, in Inyo National Forest, while another bristlecone pine in the area was discovered to be over 5,000 years old. Methuselah and its unnamed senior pine’s exact locations are kept a close secret to protect them. Around 4844–4845 years make it the world’s oldest known living non-clonal organism. The ancient tree is named after Methuselah, a Biblical figure with the most extended lifespan in the Bible, 969 years.
2. arv-e Abarqu, also called the “Zoroastrian Sarv,” is a cypress tree in Yazd province, Iran. The tree is estimated to be at least 4,000 years old
3. Llangernyw Yew -This incredible yew resides in the small churchyard of St. Dygain’s Church in Llangernyw village, north Wales. Approximately 4,000 years old, it was planted sometime during the prehistoric Bronze Age—and it’s still thriving!
4. Alerce -The Alerce is a common name for Fitzroya cupressoides, a towering tree species native to the Andes Mountains. Many botanists believe they are the second-longest living trees on Earth, aside from the bristlecone pine of North America. To date, the oldest known living specimen is 3,646 years old.
5. Patriarca da Floresta – This tree, an example of the species Cariniana legalis, named Patriarca da Floresta in Brazil, is estimated to be over 2,000 years old, making it the oldest non-coniferous tree in Brazil.
6. The Senator – Although the Senator suffered a tragedy in 2012 after a fire caused much of the tree to collapse, this iconic tree bear is mentioned here. Formerly located in Florida, the Senator was the largest bald cypress tree in the United States and was widely considered the oldest of its species known to exist. It was likely the largest U.S. tree of any species east of the Mississippi River. Estimated to be around 3,500 years old, the Senator was used as a landmark by the Seminole Indians and other Native American tribes.
7. Olive Tree of Vouves – This ancient olive tree is located on the Greek island of Crete and is one of seven olive trees in the Mediterranean believed to be at least 2,000 to 3,000 years old. Although its exact age cannot be verified, the Olive Tree of Vouves is estimated to be the oldest among them, at over 3,000 years old.
8. Jōmon Sugi—Jōmon Sugi, located in Yakushima, Japan, is the oldest and largest cryptomeria tree on the island. It is one of many reasons why the island was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The tree is at least 2,000 years old.
9. Chestnut Tree of One Hundred Horses—This tree, located on Mount Etna in Sicily, is the world’s largest and oldest known chestnut tree. Believed to be between 2,000 and 4,000 years old, its age is particularly impressive, given that Mount Etna is one of the world’s most active volcanoes. The tree sits only five miles from Etna’s crater.
10. General Sherman – Believed to be around 2,500 years old, General Sherman is the mightiest giant sequoia still standing. The volume of its trunk alone makes it the largest non-clonal tree by volume in the world, even though its largest branch broke off in 2006, smashing part of its enclosing fence and cratering the pavement of the surrounding walkway.

Thanks to The Mother Nature Network for the great piece on the world’s oldest trees. See photos of the 10 oldest trees in the world – Click Here.

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